


Goodnight, Goodnight

by therealblondie



Category: Tangled (2010)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-03
Updated: 2015-02-03
Packaged: 2018-03-10 07:35:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3282254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therealblondie/pseuds/therealblondie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sleep evades Rapunzel during her first night in the castle, so she seeks out the familiar arms of a certain ex-thief for comfort.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Goodnight, Goodnight

The day had flown by so quickly for the thief and recently discovered princess. It had been full of happy reunions, pardons, and catching up for the eighteen missing years. Finally, though, the day came to a close and the time for sleep had crept up on them. When Rapunzel’s eyes began feeling heavy and her yawns were longer and more frequent, the king and queen had her and her… friend, escort, rescuer? — ushered to individual rooms to rest. Neither of her parents seem to know what to do with the man who accompanied their daughter home, but it seems a question for another time — when everyone is fully rested and able to think clearly.

The minutes pass by, and Rapunzel counts them off as she listens to the soft ticking of the clock located in the far corner of the room she’s been given. She’s tired, and had hoped that counting along with the clock would help sleep come easily. But as she lies in bed, sleep suddenly seems so very far away. Everything feels different — the bed is different, softer than the one in the tower; the air is cold and no matter how many blankets she wraps herself in, she can’t seem to recreate that warmth that her hair once provided; the clock’s ticking is louder and more harsh than she’s used to.

But that’s not the worst of it. The moment her eyes close, she seems to see Gothel’s body aging before her eyes, growing older by the second until she falls out the window. She may have lied for the entire time she’d known her, but Rapunzel still knew her as her mother and loved her. Watching the person she had loved for so long die right before her eyes was one of the hardest things the young woman had ever faced.

The thought of death brings forth a new face in her mind, and she’s reminded that she had almost lost two people she cares about in the same day. 

Eugene.

Once brought into her thoughts, he’s hard to get rid of. He’s the only person that she really knows in this whole castle and, beside Pascal (who is sleeping peacefully on a pillow beside her), is the only one who had met her before all the princess stuff.

Slipping out from the covers, she gets out of bed and pads barefoot to the door. She had a feeling that she was supposed to stay in her own room so she opens the door with caution, being careful not to let it creak. Maybe this is breaking the rules, but she needs to see him. Just to make sure he’s okay, she tells herself.

He had been led to his room first, so Rapunzel already knows where he is. Even with the confusing hallways, she has a pretty good memory and finds the room with little trouble. Thinking of knocking, she soon discards the idea and simply walks inside. The lights are all out, but the curtain is wide open, basking the bed in the moon’s bright glow. She can tell from the even sound of his breathing that he’s asleep, and the thought seems to immediately soothe her.

Quietly, she creeps towards his bed, wriggling under the covers onto the side that he isn’t occupying. One arm slides across his torso, and her head tucks into the back of his neck. She breathes in the scent of him, letting her eyes closed. As she feels the rise and fall of his chest, and takes in the warmth that his body provides, she feels her previous worries begin to slip away and sleep overcomes her.

In the morning there’s likely to be a pile of questions for her, and a great deal of explaining to do. But she doesn’t care just then, because he’s what she needs and she isn’t about to give him up.


	2. Goodnight, Good Morning

The sun rises high into the sky, filtering through the window and landing upon Eugene’s face. He’s used to waking early, ready for the day after only a few hours of sleep — it’s become his way of life to be awake by the time the light spreads across the kingdom. But today he doesn’t have to. Years of running away from trouble have seemed to come to a close. He recalls this fact happily, a sliver of a smile spread across his lips as his eyes remain closed. It’s nice to relish in that moment between sleep and awake, to stay there for a few moments before facing the real world. In fact, he thinks that he could remain that way for quite some time — until something, or rather someone, interrupts.

There’s a shift in his bed and a soft sigh that he knows does not belong to himself. Brows furrow and eyes open, his body turning to look for the source of the disturbance. His gaze falls upon the petite brunette who had been curled up against his back until moments ago. She’s still asleep — at least he thinks so — and she looks so peaceful that he almost wants to leave her like that. Almost. But soon enough curiosity over why she is in his bed and how she got there in the first place wins over.

A hand reaches out, cupping her shoulder and giving her a soft shake. It doesn’t take much before her eyelids are fluttering, and she’s taking a deep breath.

"Hey," he greeted, the moment he can see the green of her eyes. He can tell that she’s trying to make sense of her surroundings in her still sleepy state.

And then it seems to come to her.

She bolts upright, her fingers reaching for the short strands of hair, twisting themselves there. Her bright green eyes are large as she stares at him, and her pink lips are turned downwards in a slight frown.

"Oh my gosh," she says, speaking quickly and in one breath. "I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t mean to — this was a silly idea. Oh no, I didn’t get you in trouble, did I? I’m sorry.”

It’s too early for him to comprehend words at such a fast pace, so he shakes his head, raising an eyebrow. “What are you apologizing for, exactly?” Strangely cryptic seems to be a recurring theme with her.

Small hands rub her eyes, then move to tug once more at the ends of her hair, playing with the short length that she can’t possibly be used to yet. 

"I just… I couldn’t sleep last night," she explains, then shrugs. "And this castle is so big, and everything was really quiet. Pascal was asleep so I didn’t want to wake him — so I came here. I’m really sorry, Eugene.”

It’s still not an entirely coherent explanation, but it made a lot more sense than her previous apology. He falls back against the pillows, feeling oddly proud that she had come to his room instead of — well, anywhere else, really.

"Hey, relax," he tells her, pulling her hands away from her head. "I really don’t mind." In fact it was kind of nice to wake up and realize that he wasn’t completely alone for once — but he wasn’t about to say that. "And it’s still early enough that I’m sure you can make it back to your own room without anybody noticing your absence." He takes a pause here, rolling a thought around in his mind before finally speaking it aloud. "There’s probably enough time, even, that we could just go back to sleep for a little while longer and still be fine."

It seems to perk her up, and he’s graced with a small smile. “Really?” she asks, just to be sure he meant it.

"Sure." He shrugs, pulling her backwards to lie down once more. She grabs his hand, lacing her fingers through his, and he falls asleep listening to the soft sound of her whispering stories across pillows.


End file.
